Mission Chinese

Kung Pao pastrami (front) and pork jowl with radishes

Eating at Mission Chinese, the hottest new restaurant in the hood, is like going to a hipster house party. With really good food. Upon arrival for dinner, you're asked to help yourself to the beer keg while you wait. And there will be a wait, spilling onto Orchard St. That gesture in itself sets the tone for the place. They care.

Sichuan pickled vegetables

It's a good time to take a peek into the open kitchen, where you may catch a glimpse of chef Danny Bowein, creating his magical thrice cooked bacon ($11.50). Chunky belly is steamed, smoked and then stir fried with chewy rice cakes, tofu skin and a little bitter melon. The spicy dish is a must for bacon lovers.

When your table is ready, you'll follow a long hallway into a ramshackle dining room, buzzing with diners. Plates are generous, made for sharing. Start with pickles. Both the turnips and long bean pickles with cumin ($4), and Sichuan pickled veggies ($4) are zesty and refreshing - and spicy.

Many of the dishes are fired up with Sichuan peppercorn. Be forewarned. If you haven't tasted this spice before, be ready for a heat that sneaks up on you, numbs your tongue and doesn't let go. The signature Kung Pao pastrami ($11), with meat smoked for 12 hours, sets your mouth ablaze. That didn't stop me from taking home the leftovers and whipping up an omelet the next day.

Thrice cooked bacon

Other standouts include the non-spicy stir fried pork jowl and radishes, topped with fresh mint ($11), and the broccoli beef cheek ($13), whose tender meat sits in a pool of smoked oyster sauce.

Charity also plays a role for the New York outpost of this San Francisco cult favorite. A portion of sales goes to the Food Bank for New York City.

While Mission Chinese is eyeing Brooklyn for a second location, enjoy it now.

154 Orchard Street (at Rivington)
212 529 8800
Lunch 12pm -3pm
Dinner 5:30pm - 12am
Closed Wednesdays

Outrageous Octopus Balls and More

Takoyaki, aka octopus balls, with the works

Great global street food is always on my radar. And even better when it's right under my East Village nose at tiny Otafuku.

Tasty snacks inside

I can't believe I haven't been here before. No bigger than a food truck, the Japanese take out stand serves only three dishes. The food is made to order. And there's always a line. Need I say more? Ok, then, there's:

1. Takoyaki aka octopus balls: tender chunks of octopus in a velvety wheat dough batter

2. Okonomiyaki: dense Japanese cabbage pancakes with veggies and choice of protein

3. Yakisoba: stir-fried noodles with veggies and choice of protein.

I recently read that takoyaki for Osakans is the equivalent of pizza for New Yorkers. I get an order of 6 with a side of edamame for $6.

Ask for 'the works' to get a generous drizzle of BBQ sauce, mayo, seaweed flakes, and bonito, dried smoked fish flakes that literally dance in the heat. It's poetic. It's also so delicious. Hot off the specially cast griddle, one bite gives you a generous chunk of octopus swimming in a slightly creamy center.

Takoyaki on the griddle

My friend and fellow blogger Yoshie comes here weekly and know a good takoyaki. At Otafuku, they are made Osakan style, I'm told. Every home in Osaka has a takoyaki griddle.

The okonomiyaki is equally delicious. Two large pancakes ($8) come with your choice of either seafood or meat. I had the classic pork on one and squid on the other. Pork is thinly sliced and crisped like bacon. Squid is very satisfying too. The same toppings apply. If you can't decide between balls or pancakes, get the combo for $9.

Okonomiyaki fully loaded

The lone bench parked outside sees a lot of action. The regulars accept the 15 minute wait without any grumbling. I sat next to two friends visiting from Vancouver and staying in Queens. They heard it was worth the trek. Like me, they left satisfied.

Note: If you're in the mood for proper sit down Japanese fare, Otafuku has two sister restaurants on the same block - excellent Hasaki and Robataya.

236 E 9th St. (between 2nd + 3rd Aves)
Mon-Fri, 1-10 pm
Sat-Sun, 11 am - 10 pm
212 353 8503

The Burger Joint: One Messy Classic

Pass the napkins

The last place you'd expect to find a greasy burger joint, not to mention one of the city's finest, is in the lobby of chic Le Parker Meridien hotel in Midtown. But that's what makes this odd couple work beautifully.

Burgers, not signage, are taken seriously

Only in New York.

Walk through the hotel's glass front entrance and follow the scent of grilled meat to The Burger Joint. You won't have to go far and you won't see any signage.

Continue just past reception and take a left down the tiny hallway flanked by a set of floor length velvet curtains. Look for the beckoning neon burger on the far wall. And step inside a not-so-secret little NYC burger institution.

The menu is very limited and step-by-step ordering instructions marked on the wall are Soup Naziesque. Better know what you want before ordering. Burgers, fries, sodas, beer and shakes. Not so complicated.

The cheese burger with 'the works' ($7.35) is one hot greasy mess. But it goes down oh so good. Its dense, juicy beef patty is sandwiched between the standard pickles, onions, tomatoes, mayo. The fat is already seeping through the paper wrapper with your first bite.

Fries ($3.67) are hot and crispy. Shakes ($5.05) are thick and creamy.

"No burger for you!'

Movie posters, framed reviews and graffiti all adorn the booth-lined walls. Music is blaring. Burgers are sizzling. And there is always a line. So order, eat, and scram. But you'll be glad you did.

The Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien
119 W 56th St near 6th Ave
Thurs - Sun, 11am - 11:30 pm
Fri - Sat, 11am - midnight
212 708 7414

My (Current) Fave Cheap Eat in the EV

After having just inhaled my first bowl of savory cumin lamb hand-pulled noodles ($6) at the newly opened East Village branch of Xi’an (pron “she-an”) Famous Foods, I am now dreaming about how long it will take to eat my way through the heavenly menu. Come to me Liang Pi "cold skin" noodles ($6), savory cumin lamb burger ($2.50), and tiger vegetable salad ($4.50). And with prices so good, there’s nothing getting in the way.

The savory cumin lamb noodle dish is such a winner – spicy lamb in a rich cumin chili sauce. The dish is big enough for two meals, but I polished it off in one sitting. The noodles are incredibly delicious – chewy, homey comfort. Service is clean, friendly and speedy. And two monitors cleverly play a looped video of Anthony Bourdain raving about the noodles in a "No Reservations" episode. So your mouth is watering before you even order.

This week's New York Mag named the lamb noodle dish a top cheap eat, so go now. Right now. I'm not kidding.